Never heard of Viscount Severn?
We don't blame you.
Here's what you don't know about the queen's youngest grandchild – including why he's
called that, instead of "Prince James."
Born December 17th, 2007, James, Viscount Severn is the son of Prince Edward, Earl of
Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
He's their youngest child, after his older sister, Lady Louise Windsor.
There's a large number of kids in the royal family, so it's only natural to feel a bit lost here.
In case you're wondering, Prince Edward is the youngest of the queen's four children,
his older siblings being King Charles III, Princess Anne, and Andrew, Duke of York.
That being said, James is a grandson of the queen rather than a great-grandchild, making
Prince William and Prince Harry his cousins.
When he was born in 2007, James was immediately given the title of Viscount Severn.
Normally, as the children of a prince, James and Louise would also be considered a prince
and princess, and given the titles of His or Her Royal Highness as a result.
So why do they have different titles?
Apparently, their father Prince Edward requested courtesy titles from the queen.
A courtesy title is a kind of title that has no legal significance — but they can't be
donned by just anyone.
Prince Edward and the queen made an arrangement that Louise and James would be regarded as
the children of an earl, rather than a princess and prince.
It's most likely that Prince Edward requested these courtesy titles to relieve his children
of the potential burdens of royal titles such as prince and princess.
In fact, their mother, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, once told The Sunday Times:
"We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work
for a living.
Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles."
Like the rest of his family, James lives at Bagshot Park in Surrey.
His parents, the Wessexes, made Bagshot Park in Surrey their home after their wedding in 1999.
The residence is just 30 miles outside of London.
The property is a part of the Crown Estate, which means it's passed between monarchs throughout
the years; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, was the previous tenant.
The Wessexes are pretty lucky, as Bagshot Park is one of the grandest of the royal residences,
being worth an estimated £30 million and containing an impressive 120 rooms.
Now, no parent wants to admit they have a favorite child — except maybe Prince Philip.
"Alright, you first, who's yours?"
"Anne."
"You said that alarmingly quickly."
"Well, because it didn't require any thought."
"Philip!"
It looks like this rule doesn't apply to grandparents, either.
Indeed, James and Louise were often referred to as the queen's favorite grandchildren,
and she apparently had a slight preference for the latter over the former.
This might be because they're the youngest of her grandchildren.
You have to admit, the younger ones always receive the most attention.
Seeing that Prince Harry and Prince William are in their 30s and 40s, however, we think
it's safe to say they wouldn't be too jealous of the esteem in which the queen held James
and Louise.
For his early education, Edward attended Eagle House School in Berkshire.
Eagle House School is one of the oldest preparatory schools in the country, having been founded in 1820.
The Wessexes pay the tuition of £18,000 a year for their son to attend.
Like most schools during the pandemic, Eagle House School began teaching remotely in 2020,
meaning James was attending virtual classes, something he didn't mind.
Edward told Sky News:
"My younger one frankly thinks being at home and online is fantastic."
While we know James attended Eagle House, the school only serves those between the ages
of three and 13.
Seeing that he's now older, it's likely he's attending a new school, though it's unclear
where that might be.
Though his chances of becoming king anytime soon are slim, Viscount Severn could gain
a new title in the near future.
Specifically, James could eventually take his father's current title, Earl of Wessex.
So why might this happen?
Well, it's possible that James' father, Prince Edward, will inherit his father Prince Phillip's
title, Duke of Edinburgh.
It's tradition that sons and grandsons receive the title of Duke, but this wasn't the case
for Prince Edward — a decision that he himself made.
A royal courtier told The Telegraph:
"Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare
in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex.
He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead."
"l have an ancient name which will bring you preferment...
when your grandson is a Wessex.
After the queen's death in 2022, questions were raised about whether Edward would inherit
the title of Duke of Edinburgh after all.
It's not certain what's going to happen just yet, but if Prince Edward does receive the
title, Viscount Severn will inherit the title of Earl.
There's one more title Viscount Severn might adopt in the near future: that of "His Royal Highness."
Unlike most titled people, a royal is allowed to choose whether they want to adopt the title
of His, or Her, Royal Highness.
That being said, when James turns 18, it'll be up to him to decide if he wants this title,
which originated in the early 18th century.
Not all royals choose to take it; notably, his sister Louise chose not to adopt the title
Her Royal Highness when she turned 18 in 2021.
Seeing that Viscount Severn is only 14 right now, his decision remains unknown.
Then again, he's got time, so there's no rush to make any choices just yet.
While Viscount Severn rarely makes public appearances, he has been seen a little more
frequently in recent years.
His mother, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, was adamant about both of her children having
"normal" lives.
She once told Hello! Magazine:
"Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it.
Only because, for their sakes, to grow up as normally as possible we felt was quite important."
Sophie continued:
"And they're going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life — if
they've had as normal a start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will
stand them in good stead."